Anyone who has had a medical examination and has had to wear a hospital gown or "johnny" has felt discomfort at the least, and quite possibly extreme dislike for the gown and for the need to wear only the gown, no matter how short the time of wearing may be. In addition to impinging upon a patient's modesty there are many practical medical limitations to current hospital gowns. They typically have a full length opening in either the back or front side and may be held together by means of one or two ties. These ties are typically widely spaced, often positioned at the top and possibly at the waist, if there is a second tie at all. The prior art securing means are normally point devices but they may be continuous or elongated closures along one or more seams.
Some prior art gowns are formed of separable pieces which can become separated when openable seams are open. Parts could be lost during laundering or general handling. Examples of this configuration are U.S. Pat. No(s). 818,351; 1,462,515; 4,612,673 and 4,759,083. Many such gowns have openable structural seams. This permits the gown to fall open or off when these seams are opened. For example, see U.S. Pat. No(s). 818,351; 1,462,515; 2,768,383; 3,276,036; 4,612,673; 4,759,083; 4,920,578.
Additionally, doctors are typically pressed for time and dislike the need to place the patient into awkward positions for purposes of conducting exams which typically require the gown to be untied before gaining access to the subject portion of the patient's body. Further, many patients are unable to move easily or at all and it is extremely difficult for a nurse, hospital assistant or physician to get the patient into the appropriate position for a proper exam. In those situations the typical previously known hospital gown may be more of a distraction or a hindrance than a useful covering for the patient. In some instances, the examination or treatment may require complete removal of the gown. This may be true in instances where the patient is connected to some type of external device such as an infusion or transfusion means where tubes may run under the gown down a portion of the length of the patient's body or along the patient's arm to the injection point.